Block Party rolls on with the penultimate concert featuring Mac Arnold

When we caught up with Mac Arnold to discuss his appearance at the next-to-last Block Party of 2012, the bluesman was gearing up for a gig in Seattle. He said he was still riding high off his and Plate Full O' Blues' summer journey to Belgium, Italy and Austria, where the band sold out all but two of its 15 show dates. Arnold is prepared to travel across the country to play the Block Party for the second time this year.

"Europe was crazy; they really carry on over there," Arnold said. "We were like the Beatles invasion over there."

Arnold hopes for the same reception from Anderson crowds tonight, as he and the band will play some of its proven material mixed with a few hints of songs from its upcoming album. Arnold and the band have been hard at work on the album when they haven't been busy touring. Arnold describes the new material as an exploration of the roots of blues music.

Arnold said he wants to get back to the time when a bass sound was achieved by "rubbing a stick on the floor." Although he said actual instruments are being employed to reproduce this feel in the studio, the music has been stripped down a bit to give the band's new material a more acoustic, worn-blues feel. Arnold said crowds shouldn't assume stripped down equals mellow or boring.

"We'll keep the same old blues flavor without losing any of the energy," Arnold said. "When blues seems simple it's usually at its most sophisticated."